A datacenter houses a collection of computer servers and associated components, such as network hardware (e.g., switches or routers). The collection of computer servers is often called a “server cluster” or “server farm,” and is designed to provide computing power beyond the capability of a single machine. Server farms are commonly used for cluster computing, web services, remote data storage, web hosting, and other services.
In a typical datacenter, the computer servers and network hardware are installed in racks. Power is provided to the racks through a power distribution system. Circuit breakers are commonly used across various points of the distribution system. A circuit breaker is typically connected to multiple loads, such as some of the servers or network hardware, and provides electrical protection to these loads. Depending on the complexity of the datacenter and the topology of the power distribution system, there can be a large number of circuit breakers, each protecting a large number of loads. Because of this large number of components, mapping the electrical connections between the circuit breakers and their loads and monitoring the statuses of such connections can be challenging.